Food & Drink

SOMETHING NEW TO TRY

Sampinit is a local wild raspberry found mainly in Laguna and Quezon. Its inherently tart flavor and short shelf life makes it perfect for jams.

Dolly Dy-Zulueta

In a vibrant and active food scene such as ours, there is always something new and tasty to discover. Some are totally unique ideas turned into edible pleasures, while others are improvements on classics. World of Flavors’ most recent “discoveries” are such as more…

Frozen or thawed?

Joconde Cakes’ Buko Pandan Salad.

About 20 years ago, Chef Dennis Hipolito put up his own food business in partnership with his sister Yvette. They called it Joconde Cakes, after the French term “joconde,” which means almond cake in French pastry jargon. But when he took on a corporate job, his sister took over and he concentrated on his corporate work, which took him places, not just figuratively but literally, too.

Now, he is back at Joconde Cakes, and even more wonderful things are happening there, starting off with his Buko Pandan Salad, which is sold in 1kg. tubs to truly satisfy big cravings for it. It follows the recipe he used to make Buko Pandan Salad for family gatherings. A family recipe using no artificial pandan flavoring, When he shared it with food industry friends, everyone convinced him to take it to the next level and sell it. It is so good it just had to be available to the public.

It is now. And expect more to come. As Chef Dennis puts it, “this is our flagship flavor. We will be coming out with a few more variants.”

To order, send a message through 09178486656 or DM on IG (@jocondecakes).

THREE EXCITING NEW FLAVORS

Kangkong King’s three new flavors are ketchup, sinigang and coconut.

Kangkong King, a well-known brand of crispy kangkong chips, has been delighting people who love healthy snacks since 2019. From its KKK (Original) flavor, the brand has released several flavored variants, such as BBQ, Sour Cream, Cheese and Salted Egg. Made with 100 percent water spinach leaves, it recently introduced three new and exciting flavors: Ketchup, Sinigang and Coconut. Exciting times to be eating nutritious leaves for snacks.

SAMPINIT DOUGHNUTS

Chef Gel Salonga-Datu’s Sampinit doughnuts.

You’ve had strawberries, mango, peaches, even kiwi on your doughnuts, but have you ever tried Sampinit Doughnuts? It’s a must-try now that the short sampinit season—from Febarury to April—is on.

Sampinit is a local wild raspberry found mainly in Laguna and Quezon. Its inherently tart flavor and short shelf life makes it perfect for jams. But while jam-based doughnuts are quite common, the use of local berries is something that makes Chef Gel Salonga-Datu’s Sampinit Doughnuts truly special.

It is available in boxes of 6 at P600 per box. To order, message IG (@Baker_Gel_Salonga). Deliveries are scheduled every Saturday.